This invention relates generally to the transmission of data through fiber optic cables commonly used in the telecommunications industry, and more particularly to an improved means and method for the routing and installation of ribbon type fiber optic cables of known type.
The use of so-called ribbon type cables in which a plurality of fiber optic conductors are molded together within a flat ribbon cover has gained considerable popularity in recent years for the same reasons that have been related to the use of copper wire counterparts. Among them is the ability to quickly identify a particular conductor within the group of conductors comprising the ribbon, and the ability to utilize relatively narrow spaces into which the ribbon cables are inserted.
The running of such cables, however, presents handling problems which do not find an equivalent in other types of fiber optic cables. As compared with flat copper wire cable, the fiber optic cables are very thin ribbons of minute thickness, and of relatively small width, depending upon the number of fiber optic conductors enclosed. The ribbons are relatively fragile, requiring careful handling to avoid damage, and because of the small cross sectional area, means must be provided to prevent bending of the ribbon to less than a minimum radius to prevent additional signal attenuation, breaking or excessively stressing of the fiber optic filaments therein. These problems are substantially different than those encountered in the case of individual conductors having a cylindrical cross section.